Shut Up and Play This: Was Red Dead Redemption my last Game?

Dave Feltham — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:07:39 +0000

Obviously the title is a bit ridiculous: I make games for a living and so to not play games and be up to date on what’s going would be pretentious and blind in a young industry such as ours. The standards are changed every month and with every game that is released and new ideas are being introduced. To not see what the competition is up to would be to stand and take the punch instead of fighting back.
But let’s look at the facts. The last game that I played on my own (a quick glance at my Gamertag will see that I’ve been playing Monkey Island 2 with the kids) was Red Dead Redemption. I haven’t picked up another game since I finished it over a month ago. I also haven’t wished to play a game since that date, despite having a very large backlog of games to start and some to finish. I’ve been playing the soundtrack repeatedly. My trip through the BC/Alberta mountains was nothing but that fantastic score.
What is it about the game? Is it that it was so polished that despite the various bugs it was a feat of perfection that I am in awe of? Is it the fact that it’s an open world game in a world that has been overlooked by so many games in the past? Was it the very natural and compelling gameplay?
Some of these things contributed, yes. But the reason why I have not gone back to it is because I don’t think that there will be any other game that will transport me and move me and really, envelop me as much as this game did. And because of this lofty place I hold this game I have been avoiding all others because I feel that I’ll just be setting myself up for disappointment. I don’t think any other game, at least for the moment, will teleport me into a world so absolutely like this game did. And for those who have been reading my blog for some time know, that, more than anything, is what gaming is about to me.
I’ve been stewing about what it is about this game that has enraptured me so and I’m still there, occasionally lost in thought thinking about what the significant thing is that grasped me about Red Dead Redemption. I don’t think it’s one thing, I think it’s many, and it’s not something that can be glossed over in one article.
So consider this the introduction of many articles to come about Red Dead Redemption. In the meantime I recommend that you pick it up and play it, or take the time to finish it if you haven’t yet. Me? I’m going to go throw on the soundtrack, grab a bourbon and think on it some more.

Shut Up Dave Feltham

Dave Feltham — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:17:19 +0000

Dave Feltham is a 10 year veteran of the video game industry and almost 13 in the entertainment industry as a whole. His gaming credits include Cel Damage, Cel Damage: Overdrive, Full Auto and Full Auto 2: Battlelines. His broadcast design includes opening graphics for shows on CBC, ABC, CBS, Headline Sports and PBS’ The NewsHour. He currently works as a Senior Designer at BioWare on Mass Effect 2. He is old and irritable…so don’t poke the bear.
Contact Dave at dave (at) feltham.ca

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Shut Up and Play This: Was Red Dead Redemption my last Game?

Shut Up Dave Feltham